SPANISH cops have launched a manhunt for a British man after Towie star Elliott Wright's restaurant bouncer was killed trying to break up a fight.
Police are looking for the Brit amid reports the doorman at the Costa del Sol restaurant had been pushed or punched and lost his balance as he tried to restore calm.
Bouncer Jose Rafael Pisani Pardo, 55, had been declared brain dead and had a life support machine switched off after being left seriously injured trying to stop the argument, sources say.
The dad-of-two is said to have hit his head as he crashed to the ground.
He was knocked unconscious and evacuated in a serious condition to a hospital in Malaga where he was admitted to intensive care.
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Sadly, the Venezuelan-born doorman died on Sunday after failing to recover from his injuries.
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It comes as Wright decided to close Olivia's La Cala near Marbella for two days, out of respect saying he was heartbroken over his staff member's death while the investigation into the tragedy continues.
The dad-of-three, 43, said that his “heart was broken” by the incident that took place on Saturday night near the popular tourist destination of Marbella.
Pardo had been working at the restaurant for two years.
A police investigation, led by the Civil Guard in Malaga, is ongoing but no arrests have yet been made.
The death comes just a week after James Argent and Denise Van Outen sang for guests at the restaurant where champagne bottles sell for £1,800.
Jose's devastated son, Fabriccio, paid tribute online to his "great father" who taught him "to be the man he is today".
He wrote: "Rest in peace dad, my father did his best to get his family through very tough times and thank god he was able to pass me everything I needed to be the man I am today."
CCTV footage has been recovered from the restaurant, which has already suffered its fair share of tragedy as two years ago it was destroyed in a mystery arson attack.
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Investigators will be seeking through the post-mortem and footage from the CCTV cameras to determine exactly how and why the bouncer died.
Unconfirmed local reports have pointed to him receiving a punch as he tried to intervene in the fight between unruly customers which led to him hitting his head as he fell and lost his balance.
Well-placed sources said he hit the back of his head directly on the floor, but said he went down as he tried to eject one of the unruly customers.
One said: “The local reports talk of a group of people fighting but it was between two people.
“The doorman went down as he tried to eject one of the two men.”
Another close source explained that Elliott and his bouncer had been close.
They said: “Elliott had a great relationship with the dead and is devastated at what’s happened. He had worked for him for two years.”
The source continued: “He landed awkward and banged his head as he fell backwards.
“It looks like he slipped after one of the guys he was kicking out pushed or punched him but that's something the police are still investigating.
“The ambulance took about 45 minutes to an hour to come and he was rushed to hospital.
“We’ve been told he had swelling on the brain and brain damage because of a lack of oxygen and they said at the hospital he was brain dead.
“They switched the machines off on Sunday.”
Olivia’s said in a statement: “This weekend we lost a much loved and valued member of our team.
“Our hearts are broken and we have closed the restaurant today and tomorrow out of respect.
“We are supporting our staff and the family whilst awaiting news of further investigations.”
Olivia’s La Cala went up in flames in the early hours of April 26, 2021, in a suspected arson attack which is still being investigated and has never led to any arrests.
The restaurant, which opened in August 2015, was forced to close and had to be completely rebuilt.
CCTV footage handed to police showed two masked men with jerry cans breaking into the eatery shortly before it went up in flames.
The devastating blaze occurred just five weeks after Elliott’s dad Edward George died from coronavirus.
In February, Elliott told of his joy as his wife Sadie gave birth to a baby boy - John Edward Albert.
